Child Wellness

"Health Care Utilization Over Three Years After Adolescent SBIRT"

Programs that screen adolescents for drug and alcohol abuse problems and refer them to treatment supports can have long-term benefits, finds a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

The health firm Kaiser Permanente found that teenagers who had access to programs that involve "screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment" were significantly less likely to have either chronic physical or mental health conditions a year later. These programs can take place in pediatricians' offices and school wellness clinics.

The teenagers with access to the programs also had fewer psychiatric medical visits one and three years later. The study looked at 1,871 adolescents ages 12 to 18.

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